Zac Efron opens up about addiction and rehab

If the titles of his past films are any indication, Zac Efron, 26, has had quite the troubled history with addiction and substance abuse. Before a five-month stint in rehab early last year, Zac partied like he was 17 Again on New Year’s Eve, requiring a quick fix At Any Price, but now he’s sober, and quite The Lucky One. Despite playing a hard-partying, beer-swilling frat boy in the recent Seth Rogen comedy, Neighbors, the former High School Musicalgrad explained that drinking for real is another issue.

On the series premiere of the NBC reality show, Running Wild with Bear Grylls, where celebrities enter the wilderness for two days of adventure and survival training, Zac explained, “It got to the point where I was caring less about the work and waiting more for the weekend where I couldn’t wait to go out and let loose and have fun. But when Monday and Tuesday were difficult to get through, I thought, ‘This is bad.'”

Zac maintains that it was not the stresses of his profession that led him to rehab: “It was sort of the in-between work—the social aspects outside of it; everywhere you go [there are press and people watching] … and it can be confusing … and pretty soon you need a social lubricant.”

Having learned his lesson, Zac confesses, “I just really never again want to take anything from the outside in to feel comfortable in my present skin, and that takes a lot of work. It’s just meditation and stopping and slowing down your brain.” ~Daniel Horowitz

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Comments & Discussion

I really do hope he’s got/getting the help he needs. Because Zac is. amazinglad d

Emmaleigh • July 31, 2014 @ 2:02 PM

Zac, if you’re reading this I hope you get back to you’re normal sweet self. again because you’re truly amazing person and a wonderful actor.
And personally I think that paparazzi should only be able to follow. you. around with your consent. I think this because. if a non -famous person like myself was to have some one running around following me about and taking pictures of my every move the person who was doing that would most likely be arrested. So why should. you (Zac) have to put up with it?

Robin • July 31, 2014 @ 4:55 PM

Good looking guy but I think the drugs did something to him. He looked better back when he was in 17 Again.